The rodeo stock are carefully bred for their jobs, and they like it. It's like how drafts are bred to pull, racehorses are carefully bred to run, and so on.

The horses and bulls are bred carefully, as I just said. Conformation, skills, disposition, ect, are all considered, just as if you were breeding saddle horses.

And as for being treated well, I dont think I know a horse that wouldn't love the life of a bronc. What's so bad about being trailered around for while, bucking for a few seconds, run around the arena and putting on a show and hang out in the back pens and eating for the rest of the day until it's time to go to the next place?

And the rest of the rodeo stock (calves, steers and bulls) they live a pretty good life too. Sure, some get hurt, but they just get sent to the feedlot and get eaten like any other cow, or if it's too bad for that, they'd get shot like any cow would on a ranch.
The bulls, in particular, get treated as good as the horses. They're pretty spoiled.

I'm sure you like your steak and leather saddles, so you just gotta face it and understand that raising cattle ain't sunshine and lollipops, and rodeo stock kind of get a "Get out of Jail Free" card XD

I guess it's the bad places that ruin the reputation for the rest of 'em. Accidents can and will happen, Murphy's Law. I once saw a video of a bronc that flipped over and broke its back...poor thing was in obvious pain, trying to move its legs to get up, and these idiots just sat on its head and dragged it out of the ring O_O Yeah, dragging it out I could understand...but...sitting on it's head? Unless that serves some kind of purpose, I just don't get it.

Rodeo will probably never really be my thing, but as long as the animals aren't intentionally harmed I have no issues.

I guess it's the bad places that ruin the reputation for the rest of 'em. Accidents can and will happen, Murphy's Law. I once saw a video of a bronc that flipped over and broke its back...poor thing was in obvious pain, trying to move its legs to get up, and these idiots just sat on its head and dragged it out of the ring O_O Yeah, dragging it out I could understand...but...sitting on it's head? Unless that serves some kind of purpose, I just don't get it.

Rodeo will probably never really be my thing, but as long as the animals aren't intentionally harmed I have no issues.

Sitting on a horses head is actually a form of restraint to keep the horse down, I've had to do it before, and a horse has a lot of strength in its neck! If he can't get his head up, then he can't get up......sometimes it's cruel to be kind.

Also, had someone raving at me for a vid they saw of a man jumping up and down on a horses ribcage, it had apparently had a heart attack.....the man was doing 'equine' CPR.....and if your not breaking ribs on people or a horse during CPR then your not doing it right.....broken ribs - punctured lung? Or the alternative - cardiac arrest resulting in death???

I guess it's the bad places that ruin the reputation for the rest of 'em. Accidents can and will happen, Murphy's Law. I once saw a video of a bronc that flipped over and broke its back...poor thing was in obvious pain, trying to move its legs to get up, and these idiots just sat on its head and dragged it out of the ring O_O Yeah, dragging it out I could understand...but...sitting on it's head? Unless that serves some kind of purpose, I just don't get it.

Rodeo will probably never really be my thing, but as long as the animals aren't intentionally harmed I have no issues.

You sit on the head to keep them from beating their head on the ground. A horse will thrash trying to get up( they use their head for balance when getting up). They did the right thing by sitting on his head.

The bulls in particular at rodeos are treated as well as any world class performance horse. These animals are often a persons livelihood, and they can't make money if they get hurt.

I've seen injuries at rodeos, for sure. The worst human injury was a broken back. The worst animal injury was a horse tossing its head in the chute, catching on something and essentially slicing some skin down the front of its face. This horse was promptly released and ushered back to the pens to be treated.

As for the horses being abused... They are bred and trained to buck. Whereas your average riding horse would be praised for behaving, these horses are praised for 'misbehaving'. It's essentially bred into them. The old act of electric rods and such is very rarely used any more, and the annoyance of the flank strap is their cue to go. Take this for example - where I go trail riding acquired a drop dead gorgeous paint gelding a couple years ago I asked some questions, and found out that he was an ex bronc. He just didn't have the personality for it - he'd give a couple bucks then just plod around. He is one of the sweetest horses I've ever met, and almost anyone that knows the basics can ride him. Of course, you don't want to touch his flanks though xD

In terms of the calves and steers... I've seen more injuries at team penning, where in one weekend two calves had to be put down after slipping and breaking their backs.

A bigger concern in my opinion is the sport of bullfighting. That's inhumane no matter which way you look at it. If it goes right, the bull gets stabbed with spears and killed. If it goes wrong, the horse or rider gets gored. People should spend their time complaining about things like that.

You sit on the head to keep them from beating their head on the ground. A horse will thrash trying to get up( they use their head for balance when getting up). They did the right thing by sitting on his head.

But it wasn't able to move its head is the thing. So there was no need...it's injury was just that severe...

But it wasn't able to move its head is the thing. So there was no need...it's injury was just that severe...

I am sure they were doing to just in case he decided to try to thrash or get up.

Sitting on their neck doesn't hurt them, you don't stick your knee in their windpipe. It is also a safety measure for those on the ground, if you ever had a horse or cow on the ground that wasn't restrained properly and they go to swinging their head they can easily break a leg or foot. I made the mistake once with a horned heifer and she punched a lovely hole in my boot. I was lucky she missed my pinky toe and she just caught the boot and sock :)

I am sure they were doing to just in case he decided to try to thrash or get up.

Sitting on their neck doesn't hurt them, you don't stick your knee in their windpipe. It is also a safety measure for those on the ground, if you ever had a horse or cow on the ground that wasn't restrained properly and they go to swinging their head they can easily break a leg or foot. I made the mistake once with a horned heifer and she punched a lovely hole in my boot. I was lucky she missed my pinky toe and she just caught the boot and sock :)

I guess even though he obviously was unable to really move save for twitch his legs they didn't know his spine was pretty much gone at that point.

I guess even though he obviously was unable to really move save for twitch his legs they didn't know his spine was pretty much gone at that point.

With a situation like that you proceed as though the animal MIGHT get up, thrash, move, etc - it is for everyone's safety and to keep the animal as calm and controlled as possible until you can end their suffering. Even if you are 99.999999999% sure the animal is completely unable do so, you take necessary precautions to be sure they don't.

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